Skip to main content

tv   Studio B With Shepard Smith  FOX News  July 29, 2011 12:00pm-1:00pm PDT

12:00 pm
and "studio b" with jon scott for shepard smith starts right now. >> thank you, this is "studio b" with box one, dangerously close to the end of the line on the nation's debt limit. lawmakers are scrambling to come up with an agreement. box two, polygamist cult leader warren jeffs breaking silence in court today. what he had to say. the soldier accused of planning an attack at ft. hood defiant in court and what he said about the alleged plot unless breaking news changes everything. but, first, from fox at 3:00, we are almost out of time from presbyterian today -- from president obama as the government inches closer to a
12:01 pm
default. the deadline for a deal is tuesday and lawmakers are in a political stand off over the details. and now a look at the house floor where the republican speaker, john boehner, is once again pushing for a vote on his plan. this after an embarrassing delay last night because the speaker could not get the needed support from his party. today? they try again. >> good moment of practical politics. we will get there. this is very important. >> democrats accuse the speaker of caving to his party's right wing. >> speaker boehner should give it up. he throws piece after piece of red meat to the right wing lion that seems to dominate his caucus. it is time he tamed that lion for the good of the country. >> it seems like you are dreaming, while the rest of us are living one of the worst nightmares we can possibly
12:02 pm
imagine. wake up, mr. speaker. >> republicans hitting back saying democrats have failed to offer any viable solutions of their own. >> speaker boehner has been doing the hard work of governing, working day and night to put together a bill that can actually pass the house of representatives and end the crisis now. how about a plan from democrats in washington that can pass both chambers prevent the crisis and protect americans from a worseening economy? >> president obama urging compromise as he promised to work through the weekend to try to reach a solution. we have team fox coverage. wendell is at the white house with more from the president. and gerri from the fox business network on what could happen next week. but, first, doug live on capitol hill. doug, when can we expect a vote on speaker boehner's bill in the house? >>reporter: we can expect that vote about 6:30 or 7:00 tonight in the house of representatives minus the fireworks of last night there is little doubt it will pass this time.
12:03 pm
in the house. what brought the right wing, the tea party part of the republican party into the fold is the inclusion of the balanced budget amendment. on the senate side speaker boehner is seen as a hero. here is senator mcconnell. >> the only people disregarding the consequences of default are senate democrats not the republicans in the house of representatives, but senate democrats. republicans have been doing the hard work of governing this week. it is about time our democratic friends joined us. >> as the senate republicans were huddled behind closed doors this afternoon discussing their options with the boehner plan he came over from the house of representatives to the senate and joined in the on meeting and received a standing ovation. >> what happens if the boehner bill gets through the house? what happens in the senate? all this inclusion of the balanced budget amendment in the boehner bill is an absolute nonstarter among senate
12:04 pm
democrats, senator durbin of illinois said that it is the most outrageous suggestion he has seen but at the same time senate majority leader harry reid is putting out an olive bench -- branch to republicans. >> i will today ask my republican colleagues to give me some ideas what you think would improve my legislation. keeping in mind as i have said on the floor, there will be no agreement if it is a short-term extension. we will not do that. and my caucus supports that fully. >> table the boehner bill as he if can cut, cap and balance and use a legislative vehicle with the same expedited status attaching his bill to that and work through it that way. the very least, we can expect
12:05 pm
the senate to be in session throughout the midnight hours both nights this weekend. >> thank you from washington, doug. the president for his part sending a rare tweet calling on americans to pressure american lawmakers into a balanced deficit solution putting party s ver if you want to see a bipartisan compromise, let congress know." call, e-mail, tweet. the b.o. means he sent the tweet himself. they are now tweeting, the twitter handles of republican members of congress in each state, and some critics on the social site are calling this "cyber harassment." and now wendell, the president has done this before, right? >>reporter: on monday the president asked people to call their members of congress and demand bipartisanship and the people, a number of people
12:06 pm
agreeing and the number of people also who wanted their members to stand firm was enough to crash lawmakers' website. capitol hill telephone traffic was operating at capacity today and they say the president made the second request after house e speaker speaker moved to the right to get support after the deficit cutting plan failed to get the votes he needed. he added a requirement that a balanced budget amendment pass by two thirds of the majority in the house of representatives and senate before a second hike in the debt ceiling next year. >> any measure that suggests we should have the debate in a way to require the votes we are talking about when you see what is happening in the house and the efforts to get a majority to pass the highly partisan measure, does anyone think we can, that it is plausible to hold the american economy hostage to a two thirds vote? the house of representatives and the senate? >> he says there is evidence the economy is already suffering because of the current debate.
12:07 pm
john? >> if the president doesn't like the house proposal what is the alternative? >>reporter: he is trying to marginalize the house which is being driven by a minority of the majority party and the president says the democrat and republican leaders of the senate have both offered plans and he is looking to them for a compromise. >> senator reid a democrat has introduce add plan that contains cuts agreed upon by both parties. senator mcconnell, a republican, offered a solution that could get us through this. there are plenty of modifications we can make to either of the plans in order to get them passed through both the house and the senate and would allow me to sign them into law. >> the president hopes he can get something he can sell to democrats in the senate and the house and get just enough republicans to get it to his desk to sign it but the problem is, while republicans have shown
12:08 pm
some divisions over republican proposals, they have shown no support at all for democrat's plans. >> thank you, wendell, from the white house. as lawmakers argue over how to solve this, a strange financial situation emerged. apple now has more cash than the united states treasury. the government's balance right now is $73 billion. compared to apple, which reports it has more than $76 billion on hand. unlike the computer giant the government has money coming in all the time in the form of income, corporate and other taxes, but the bills are quickly piling up. this is a list of the big payments due in the next few weeks. the biggest is social security which medicare close second. under the worse case scenario treasury officials say they have to decide which bills to pay and which not to pay. gerri from the fox business network is here. so, how close are we to running out of money, $73 billion?
12:09 pm
>> the treasury department has said we go broke august 2nd, the drop dead date according to them but the reality is over the course of august, we will have some $172 billion coming in, and it should be enough to pay interest on the debt of $29 billion and social security payments of $49 billion. but experts who watch this say you know what? the pedal will hit the metal august 8th when we could default. >> market is down 53 points right now. it seems to be shrugging this off. >>guest: yes, it is shocking, really, the market seems to be confident here, and maybe some kind of credit rating downgrade is already baked into the pie and gold is up, that is where people go when they are nervous or scared about the market place. and treasuries, treasuries are rallying. that means people are buying government debt, which is threatened with the credit
12:10 pm
downgrade. so, look, although treasuries could be downgraded they are still some of the safest investments on the planet. >> i am surprised at the wall street number after what the government reported today, the economy barely moving at all and the g.d.p. up a little over 1 percent in the second quarter. >>guest: what was really shocking is the first quarter g.d.p. number, total economic output .4 percent a rescission. it was originally thought 1.9 percent, not great, but at least growth but it is closer to flat lining. the economy is not doing well what most americans thought was happening, the economists who were convinced it was otherwise, and the dow jones industrial average dropped 135 points on that news, by the way, this morning. >> you can catch gerri only on the follow business network giving you the power to press speaker. if you do not get fox business?
12:11 pm
demand it. >> much more on the fight in congress for the delaware, -- for the debt ceiling, and bret baier fills us in on what to expect as the politicians fight it out. [ jelani ] neither of my parents went to college.
12:12 pm
something that was drilled in me early on, you know, college is the place for you. it's my number one go. ♪ students like me, who take these ap math and science classes and have these opportunies, this is where the american dream lies. when i write that book, you know, i plan to dedicate it to my school. ♪ when i write that book, those hopes and dreams that you have, you know, they're within reach. and i'm living proof.
12:13 pm
12:14 pm
>> the house of representatives expected to start voting on a plan to address the debt crisis. lawmakers say the bill will be dead on arrival in the democratic-controlled senate. but we are told getting the house bill passed is still a key step toward a compromise that could prevent the nation from defaulting. bret baier joins us from washington, anchoring special report on fox news channel. i was reading interesting quotes
12:15 pm
from the democratic leadership team saying the tea party members are capable of making noise but they are unfit to govern. >>reporter: it is interesting the comments you hear from democrats about being unfit to govern, the tea party members, clearly, even republicans have been critical of some maneuvers that some of the tea party members have made but they have stood their ground saying they all right passed cut, cap and balance, a bill they believed in, and they sent it to the senate and it died there, it was not debated. they have the argument if boehner is able, speaker boehner can pass the bill tonight, and if it passes with tea party support, that potentially according to some political strategists, you would not be at this position tying the debt ceiling to any of the cuts, any of this happening without the tea party being involved. and they have an argument they can make that this would not
12:16 pm
have happened as far as getting any of the cuts done without their impetus and the feeling they had a mandate in november of 2010 from the voters to do this. so that is the argument according to folks talking to those members that they plan to make. >> the democrats seem to be complaining there has been a monkey wrench thrown into the workings of washington but as you say the members feel that is what they were elected to do, to change the way the system works. >>bret: it with not have been tied, the debt ceiling and the cuts would not have happened, this deficit reduction, the concern of the debt, the focus on this issue, would not have happened if they had not been elected and it is permit -- important to remember. and there were five democrats who vetted for the cut, cap and balance, and i don't know if any democrats will vote for the bill tonight but if there are not that suggests the democratic
12:17 pm
party is sticking telling on party principle opposed to letting their members vote how they feel about certain piece of legislation. so, that is another interesting perspective. >> it is a little confusing certainly to me and a lot of this stuff is happening late at night and behind closed doors. but the bill that speaker boehner hoped to get last night he did not have the vets for so he pulled it. today, the main difference is the addition of a balanced budget amendment? >>guest: that's right. they front load add few more cuts but the addition of the balanced budget amendment vote is the key piece for the tea party conservatives. however, on the senate side, it is essentially a poison pill. they hoped on the senate side to use the boehner vehicle, the piece of legislation to modify and send it back in a quick fashion but because there is a balanced budget amendment and because primarily senate
12:18 pm
democrats have a real problem with that, it will not be the vehicle. and senator reid will come up with a new piece of legislation that he will then move through the senate and send to the house and likely if all goes well, it will be passed with house democrats and fewer house republicans. at least that is the senate democrats' plan. >> what a way to run a country. bret baier, thank you. catch bret baier this weekend filling in for chris wall loss and talking about the debt crisis with the house majority whip. also, the director of the national economic council on sunday. check the local listings for what time it runs if your area. as soon as speaker boehner's original bill failed last night, pundits said he's lost his grip on the party he is supposed to be load -- leading.
12:19 pm
12:20 pm
i have copd. if you have it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and what that fes like copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms... ...by keepinmy airways open... ...a full 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintence treatment that does both. and it's eroid-free. spiriva doesot replace fast-acting inlers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens,... ...your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain,... ...or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation.
12:21 pm
nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps meeathing with copd is no small thing. ask your doctor about spiriva.
12:22 pm
>> new developments in the deadly rampage in norway. police now say they have discovered another victim. bringing the toll to 77. cops question the confessed killer in one of the worst mass killings in modern history. the suspect arrived by police escort. he remained calm as they went over his early statements. they plan to question him, again, next week. you will recall a judge says the suspect confessed to planting a bomb outside the prime minister's office. the explosion killed eight people. a short time later witnesses say the gunman disguised as a police officer traveled to a summer
12:23 pm
catch where he lured everybody together and opened fire. >> he said to me, i'm a cop, and i will get you guys a place where it's safe and i have to gather everyone. so it will be easier for me to protect you. and when he said that, i think someone heard it because someone ran out and he just took out the gun and shot the person. all that was one of the survivors among hundreds of people who took part in a memorial service for the victims earlier today. and jonathan hunt is live in new york. in addition to the memorial service, the first funerals took place. >>jonathan: the first of those took place in aville an south of oslo for an 18-year-old who was a muslim immigrant to norway, john, her family ironically left their native iraq back in 1996 to escape provide lens there. as the casket was carried toward
12:24 pm
the grave site her muslim family went alongside her christian friendses and the foreign minister who attended paid tribute to that spirit of unity. listen. >> a special experience because we have the christian and muslim tradition side-by-side. they did this spontaneously and if there is one message that we turn back to the visions of the man and what he did, you have seen it here today. >>jonathan: and the 18-year-old was buried in a muslim section of the cemetery in that church which, by the way was built in 1175. >> and the interviews with the suspect? are the cops lending -- learning anything new? than they are going over the statements to make sure the story is consistent, and they say that they are increasingly convinced that he acted alone and his initial claims that there were other so-called "cells," waiting to carry out
12:25 pm
attacks were simply not true. we learned more, too, today about how this all ended. we knew when cops got on to the island he was waiting for them in a clearing, with his hands above his head, his weapon 30 yours away. we learned today that the first words he said to the cops who arrived were "i am finished now." >> strange. and chilling. jonathan, thank you. pilot error caused an air france jet to plunge into the atlantic ocean and kill all 228 people on board. that is according to a french investigation. you will recall in 2009 the flight from rio de janeiro to paris, crashed in a thunderstorm. it is the worst crash in the history of air france. a relative report on the recordings from the plane's black bok say the two co-pilots responded to the stall by pointing the nose up instead of
12:26 pm
down where they could have gained speed. in a statement air france defended the pilots saying the altitude alert system malfudges -- malfunctioned. >> speaker boehner trying to shore up support after he delayed a vote last night. some analysts and a lawmaker say that stumble could cost big. and now, juan joins us next. itr. continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal.
12:27 pm
that's not how successful investing is done. at e-trade it's harnessing some of the most powerful yet easy to use trading tools on the planet to help diversify, identify opportunities, take action. it's using professional grade research and your brain to seek maximum returns to reach your goals. it's investing with intelligence and cold hard conviction. you made the money. you should have everything you need to invest it. e-trade. investing unleashed.
12:28 pm
when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp medicare supplement insurance. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare.
12:29 pm
and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare. and best of all, these plans are... the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp. when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call the number on your screen now... and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you. as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't... and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now.
12:30 pm
>> this is "studio b" at the bottom of the hour. time for the top of the news. a live look at the house floor. speaker boehner's latest plan to end the debt stand off closer to a vote. a congressional source tells fox news lawmakers expect a final up-or-down vote on the bill tonight. of course this comes after speaker boehner abruptly stop add plan vote yesterday because it did not have enough support. some analysts say that misstep has badly hurt the republican leader's standing in the house. and senator john mccain says he thinks speaker boehner's position could be in jeopardy. joining us is fox news political analyst juan williams, also author of "muzzled: the assault on honest debate." is this a mutiny for the speaker? >>juan: not quite yet but it looked like that last night. john boehner's standing and
12:31 pm
stature as speaker of the house was challenged not by difficulties in dealing with democrats, the minority in the house, but by his own troops. he put himself open the line by trying to schedule that vote with the anticipation he could get fellow republicans to stand with him on his terms and then embarrass the democrats and president obama but he was unable to do so and the damage as you suggested, the damage as john mccain suggested could be long lasting. the difficulty going forward is that those tea party freshmen do not appear loyal to john boehner. they appear loyal to their tea party base back at home which is telling them no need for compromise, don't go along with what john boehner is offering which is to ignore any calls for tax hikes, to look for anything that would approach any kind of grand bargain. remember john boehner was engaged in those talks with president obama.
12:32 pm
but the tea party freshman are just indifferent to those appeals and it has left john barne in a very difficult situation. >> the tea party has change add lot in this country and they saying we have been elected to change the way washington works, aren't they? >>juan: yes but there is a difference between campaign season and election season and the second thing to say when you look at the public opinion polls, and this is critical in temperatures of the political dynamic, when you look at the public opinion polls they are not in favor of republicans on this issue the republicans are getting ballistic missiled -- blamed for putting the economy at risk and john boehner as a seasoned politician who made his career through a willingness to compromise and to do deals with democrats is seeing the numbers and it does not portend go things for the republican petition or his continued dominance of the house
12:33 pm
republicans for 2012. the difference is you say they interpreting in a different light, and john boehner is responding to a larger public opinion and the tea party folks saying that is not why we are here and it made for a tremendous split between the g.o.p. establishment and the tea party. >> and the president isn't doing well with a new poll suggesting that his approval rating is down to 40 percent, the disapproval rating at 50 percent. as i understand that is the lowest of his presidency, the 40 percent approval rating. >>juan: exactly. the american people saying we are frustrated with all of them. we don't understand why you can't get this done. this is something that wall street is being clear about in terms of the impact on our bond rating and the vessel the dollar and everyone's 401(k) and
12:34 pm
inflation, and i could go on, it is not a game, and somehow the kind of politics, partisan, sharp politics we are seeing in washington, says to the american people, we don't like any of you, you point out the president's numbers are low, but, remember, yesterday a poll has congressional approval rating at 6 percent! talk about historic low that is with the margin of error that no one approves of congress. >> with so many fingers being pointed each way, you say that the republicans are engaged in a circular firing squad? >>juan: well, that is the thing. if you and i are in a dark alley and the enemy is coming at us, and why mean to say the democrats are the enemy but they are the political opposition, you have to make a decision about, we are going to follow a certain strategy and john boehner had a strategy in mine. he compromised. he said i will not do the grand
12:35 pm
bargain, there will not be anything that can be a tax hike and he was willing to respond to the needs of the tea party and make sure they were embraced. but the tea party then continued to put pressure on him and, yesterday, i think, by every measure, embarrassed him and weakened his leadership going forward by refusing to give him the vote last night that he needed. >> thank you, juan williams. >> the man accused of plotting an attack on ft. hood condemned the previous attack on the base and that is not the only surprise to come out of the investigation. details next. ♪ let me entertain you
12:36 pm
♪ let me make you smile ♪ let me do a few tricks ♪ some old and then some new tricks ♪ ♪ i'm very versatile ♪ so let me entertain you
12:37 pm
♪ and we'll have a real good time ♪ [ male announcer ] with beats audio and flash, you can experience richer music and download movies straight to the new hp touchpad with webos. [ coughing continues ] [ gasping ] [ elevator bell dings, coughing continues ] [ female announcer ] congress can't ignore the facts: more air pollution means more childhood asthma attacks. [ coughing continues ] log on to lungusa.org and tell washington: don't weaken the clean air act.
12:38 pm
>> the us soldier accused of planning an attack at ft. hood is appearing. two days after being arrested at a motel three miles from the
12:39 pm
texas military post. the 21-year-old has confessed. he was going to carry out the plot with a bomb and weapons he stashed in a represented room. this comes less than two years after u.s. army major nadal hassan allegedly killed 13 people and injured dozens in a shooting spree at ft. hood. the suspect in the plot, private first-class naser jason abdo reportedly condemned that rampage in an essay obtained by the associated press. he called such act "counter to what i believe in as a muslim," and he whereabout getting harassed by fellow soldiers because of his faith. and now, live outside the jailhouse in killeen, texas. what happened at the hearing today? >>reporter: he was defiant inside the courtroom this afternoon, the federal courtroom, and he refused to stand up when asked to do so and when he was let out of the courtroom this afternoon he yelled "nadal hassan ft. hood 2009," an obvious reference to
12:40 pm
what you were talking about the former army psychiatrist who shot and killed 13 soldiers and wounded dozens more during the shooting spree in 2009 on poet. in a criminal complaint filed today we learned that naser jason abdo told authorities he planned to set off two bombs, two, inside a crowded restaurant frequented by ft. hood soldiers and listened to use pressure cookers filled with gun powder and shrapnel. >> what has been the reaction after another plot targeting ft. hood? >>guest: uns -- uneasy people in the community and i talked to a retired sergeant, howard gray, and he says that he was actually commended by the army for helping wounded soldiers during the 2009 shooting, and he tells me this community got lucky. listen. >> every american has to be aware that these kind of people
12:41 pm
are around. they're just as vigilant as the most vigilantes -- vigilant of us looking for opportunities. >> he wonders who or what is next, according to sergeant ray. >> thank you, chris. >> a weather alert, tropical storm don moving closer to the united states. it will be the first tropical storm to make landfall here this year. the storm expected to reach the southern texas coast some time tonight packing winds up to 50 miles per hour and forecasters say the entire region will likely feel the effects. and now to the weather center. where is this thing right new? >> it off the coat of texas, 140 miles southeast of corpus christi, texas. right here on the satellite. and quite a big blob. we have time for this thing to
12:42 pm
strengthen in the next several hours and it will make landfall somewhere between 9:00 and midnight across the southeast, rather, the south texas coastline and you can see already some of the storm move inland and with the satellite radar you can see the outer bands moving into places like louisiana and through houston and we could see the potential for tornadoes with the landfalling tropical storms and hurricane, the friction against land, brings us slight rotation and potential for weak tornadoes. there is the track as of around 2:00 p.m. with a new track at 5:00 p.m. and still at 50 miles per hour sustained wind storm and we have potential for this to strengthen but as we get through the next several hours making landfall somewhere between corpus christi and brownsville, and padre island. >> they have had a lot of drought, will this help? all necessity were praying for the tropical storm in texas
12:43 pm
because 75 percent of the state into exceptional drought, the worst detroit they verve seen in texas history, exceptional drought. but the storm making landfall across south texas they need it across central texas and toward the southeast texas coastline so, unfortunately, they need several more storms to move into the region to put a dent in the drought. >> are there a lot of them out there to watch out? >> so glad you asked, because, of course, as we head into the height of the tropical season we look out here in the atlantic off the coast of africa, and this area of concern, the computer models are picking up on this and it could become a tropical storm by this week, and, perhaps, even a hurricane, as we head into next week. so we will keep an eye on that. >> if it becomes one, send it to texas, okay? >> it will be a weak storm
12:44 pm
bringing a lot of rain. >> a nice wet hurricane. thank you. the polygamist cult leader, warren jeffs, interrupting his sexual assault trial today claiming that the court was stomping on sacred ground and persecuting him for his religion way to go, coach. ♪
12:45 pm
12:46 pm
12:47 pm
>> the polygamist cult leader warren jeffs talking in his trial after staying mute and oblivious to everything going on delivering a 55-minute sermon againsting polygamy. he is the leaders of the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter-day saints and one graced the f.b.i. most most
12:48 pm
wanted list alongside bin laden after a woman claimed he forced her to marry and have sex with her 19-year-old first cousin when she was only 14. now he can face life in prison if convicted on charms he sexually assaulted two underage girls. yesterday he fired his high powered legal team and is now representing himself. trace has the news like from our west coast news room. first, trace, he would not talk and now he will not stop talking? >>trace: you mentioned the 55-minute objection and those in court called it that saying it was not an objection but a sermon that warren jeffs was using his hand for emphasis saying that fundamentalists mormoned had to follow the law that was set out by god and they were raised to believe in polygamy. and that no children were ever harmed at all inside that religion and he never once denied having sex with underage girls but he did end this
12:49 pm
55-minute objection with "amen." >> the prosecution, though, contends the argument does not hold up? >>trace: and the prosecution is having a very difficult time giving the evidence because warren jeffs continually interrupts him and he just made a threatening statement in court moments ago and the judge admonished him saying if he continues to threaten the court, and threaten the jury he will be removed from the courtroom. the prosecution maintains the courts have held against polygamy, against sex with children, and, remember, the prosecution plans to actually play an audio tape of warren jeffs sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl and while the prosecution continues to score points, jeff's former defense team remains in court as observers. listen. >> the judge has asked us to stand by which i'm of course willing to do, and it is always
12:50 pm
preferable to have an experienced counsel at the table. >>trace: is the trial has reconvened and the judge is allowing warren jeffs to continue absenting as his own lawyer but she has admonished him he has to play by the rules or that will end quickly. >> thank you, trace. and now our legal panel, new york prosecutor and from denver criminal defense attorney. first of all, if he is representing himself, he has fired well-known and high powered lawyers, and if he is representing himself does that make it a slam dusk for the flex >>guest: the case is what it was and it was strong before this, but it is not a slam dunk in court. look what they are dealing with. day after day, and this is just the beginning, they are going to be faced with a an accused who is his own counsel, now, and he is not gaining advantage with a court, with the prosecution,
12:51 pm
but, most importantly for the jury. everyone has to be careful because all they want to worry about is avoid an appellate issue if and when i believe there will be a conviction here. look what happened today. yesterday he sat in silence, but, maybe hoping the prayers would be answered and this would end today and when that did not happen he has gone to try to preach his way out. what a spectacle he will make of this and how difficult it is for the prosecution to get theired in the way they should be able to do it. >> talking about evidence, the prosecution says they have an audio tape of him actually having sexual relations with a 12-year-old girl and they say they have d.n.a. evidence, as well. >>guest: well, he is not on trial for the 12-year-old girl he is on trial for two girls that he married, so, other than having a fool for a client, mr. jeffs does have an argument, i think, that he should be arguing, that he was married to these girls, he had the parental
12:52 pm
consent. they may have been underage but he had parental consent and he had sex with his wives and there is nothing illegal about having sex with your wife. the real argument is religion there has to be a separation of church and state and he has a right to practice his religion. the constitution is clear. this was a country that was founded on people that came here because they were persecuted because of religion. >> but 12 years old ... nobody is going to be defending that. >>guest: well, the only defense he has is his relearn on. whether or not you personally agree with it, whether whether i personally agree with it that is not the issue, his argument has got to be that he is allowed to represent, he is following his let lidge on, and he should be able to follow the practices of his religion and that is what the practices are. and he will reasonable have to take it up to the supreme court because he will lose at the trial level.
12:53 pm
>> freedom of reledge on is just that, in the boundaries of the law, can you thought murder or rape in the name of religion and that is what the prosecution is trying him for and while i believe they will be successful. >> if you going to say in some religions marrying a 12-year-old girl ought to be okay, or should be ... allowed in the eyes of the court, where do you stop, sharon? ten? eight? >>guest: that is a go question. where do you stop? where do you stop in terms of placing limits on someone's rereligious freedom? can the court impose restrictions you can have your religious freedom, provided that you don't allow the entrance of gays, or minorities? or that you don't wear certain clothes on certain days? there are a lot of problems when you start to micromanage
12:54 pm
someone's religious freedom. >> that's got to be his argument. he doesn't have a defense otherwise. other than that he was married to these women. >> and he doesn't have department. >> why aren't the parents on trial? as conspirators? >> and he don't have a defense team, either, is firing his lawyers maybe the best way to ensure that he gets a mistrial? is that what he is hoping for? >> this is a guy who has been playing, who is my attorney today? he delayed the trial already by six months and he may have been trying that when he said he would represent himself. but why think it is going too be successful for him because this judge was very came and she did exactly what she needs to do under sex law and that will hold up all the way to the supreme court, and she advised him of the pitfalls of representing himself and said why she did not thing she should, he had a confident legal team and he was doing this to his detriment, and
12:55 pm
he said he inside it and still wished to represent himself and that is what the court needs to show it was clear. they have done that. so they will be safe on that if convicted. >> thank you, both, for joining us. >> fox urgent: the upper east side of manhattan where there has been a manhole fire. you can see it sparking there on the right center portion of your screen. the infrastructure in a city like new york getting a little long in the tooth and office den this happens in the hot summer months. sometimes electrical cables that are carrying in the underground conduits get everheated -- overheated. you can see the firefighters trying to spray water on this. they will not put out an electrical fire but maybe keep it cooler. we will try to get to the bottom of that at the upper side of
12:56 pm
manhattan. >> when the worker light is red it is best to put on the brakes otherwise this could happen. a stunning crash caught on video from three different angles. you? nice ! dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles. outrageous comfort, all-day long.
12:57 pm
excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves.
12:58 pm
no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. just don't feel like they used to. are you one of them? remember when you had more energy for 18 holes with your buddies. more passion for the one ya love. more fun with your family and friends. it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. come on, stop living in the shadows. you've got a life to live. [ male announcer ] so don't blame it on aging. talk to your doctor and go to isitlowt.com to find out more. or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today.
12:59 pm
>> a cargo van slamming into a bus and caught on video. the van does not slow down as it barrels across other cars at the red light. this is from the traffic light cameras at the intersection on long island. you can see the van lodged into the side of the bus as it slides. we are toll the driver was drunk and driving without a license. no one seriously hurt. this is friday, and that's it for "studio b" and now, later on the fox report at 7:00 eastern, log on to the "shep," at

208 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on